Kids Go HoJo with Sega

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Kids Go HoJo with Sega was a Sega of America-sponsored marketing campaign for the American hotel/motel chain Howard Johnson's, produced by Californian marketing firm Strottman International^[1] and run during the summers of 1993, 1994, and 1995.

Campaign

Born from a venture between Sega of America and the American chain of hotels and motels Howard Johnson's, Kids Go HoJo with Sega was a unique summer promotion intended to increase room sales at the company's properties by making the chain seen more enticing to the children of possible guests. The promotion ran in all Howard Johnson's across the United States of America and Canada over three periods: From May 24th through September 6th, 1993^[2], from May 27th through September 5th, 1994^[3]^[4], and from May 27th through September 4th, 1995.^[5]^[6] During the promotion, all the company's hotels, motels, and inns were equipped with life-size cutouts of Sonic the Hedgehog displayed in the lobby for guests to take souvenir photographs with.

Sega provided Howard Johnson's properties with Sega Game Gears and a small library of games for guests to play at no charge. Through the Kids Go HoJo Fun Club, children were also provided with a collectible series of FunPacks containing Sega-themed puzzles, games, booklets, and toys, and a free one-year subscription to Sega Visions magazine. Additionally, a pair of VHS promotional features were available to rent or purchase - Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 1 and Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2.

Game Gear rentals

Standard models of the Sega Game Gear were available as free rentals to guests and their children, along with a small selection of games.

List of rentable games

Cheese Cat-Astrophe Starring Speedy Gonzales
Ecco: The Tides of Time
The Lion King
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
NFL '95
Phantom 2040
Ristar
Sonic the Hedgehog Triple Trouble
Taz in Escape from Mars
Tempo Jr.
World Series Baseball
World Series Baseball '95
X-Men: GamesMaster's Legacy

FunPacks

Larger chains of hotels often provide the children of guests with small collections of activities and toys in an effort to keep restless children occupied during long stays. Howard Johnson's is no different, and to coincide with Kids Go HoJo with Sega, branded their existing FunPacks with Sega-related properties. Coloring books featured Ecco the Dolphin and Tempo, and activity books prominently featured the character Ristar.

Sega Game Gear Tips

Main article: Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 1, Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2

One of the campaigns most-remembered features, and the one most associated with Kids Go HoJo with Sega today, is the series of 1995 promotional VHS tapes Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 1 and Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2. While each features a series of different tips for the chain's available Sega Game Gear games, both are built around the same main video, an extended advertisement where a Howard Johnson's spokesperson promotes both the Game Gear and the hotel's amenities.

Produced with a great deal of influence from Sega of America's attitude-filled marketing (particularly as it began migrating towards more high-energy advertising), the advertisement was created to be fast, flashy, and attention-getting, with quick cuts and a literal strobe light blinking intermittently in most scenes. Additionally, the premise was intentionally produced to feature the Howard Johnson's spokesperson repeatedly harassing and stalking a visibly-disturbed guest for the entirety of the advertisement, and at one point even gestures at beginning a sex scene between said guest and a hotel maid; concerningly adult for a VHS tape intended for young children.

As Howard Johnson's faded in popularity, so did its name. With the maturing of the internet and the establishment of websites like YouTube, the promotional advertisement soon became associated with the now lesser-known company, and frequently to such a degree that some are only familiar with the hotel chain through this single video.

History

Co-created by Strottman International marketer Michael Berreth^[7]^[8]^[9]^[10] and Howard Johnson Vice President of Marketing Barry Parrish^[11]^[12]^[13]^[4]^[14] (the man behind the company's original 1990 marketing campaign Kids Go Hojo^[15]^[16]), Kids Go HoJo with Sega was supported by a $3,500,000 advertising campaign, including commercials on national television, print advertisements, and radio promotions, as well as local, grassroots promotions in smaller advertising areas.^[2]

The campaign was largely a success, with Howard Johnson's seeing a notable 9% increase in room sales, resulting in the chain becoming the leader of its respective consumer lodging market.^[12]^[17]

Legacy

For its accomplishments with the Kids Go HoJo with Sega campaign, Strottman International was awarded the CSPA Award of Excellence for Best Worldwide Traffic-Building Promotion.

While altogether a successful campaign, Howard Johnson's name recognition eventually began to fade, and the chain would lose much of its former marketshare over the next two decades. With the advent of video sharing websites, uploaded copies of the promotional VHS tapes Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 1 and Sega Game Gear Tips Volume 2 began to appear, and later became minor viral sensations, such to a point that many only know the hotel chain through this promotional video alone.

Despite the campaign's unflattering modern association, it still enjoys a more positive legacy in the marketing industry, and is remembered as one of the more notable and successful hotel advertising campaigns.